Tsukinukeru
by yaoifan124
Summary: Luffy is top ranked is sent on a mission to capture a man named Roronoa. What happens when she becomes infatuated by a certain man? Who is this man? Zoro/Fem!Luffy OOC!


**A/N: Here is a short story! I actually used this for a project, but of course the characters were different! I went through and switched it to One Piece characters! XD I was told it was very good, so please be nice!**

**Warning: Luffy is a girl! XP (A first, I know, right?)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece! That is all!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Tsukinukeru<strong>

_**Edo Era, 1860 A.D.**_

Fire. There was a fire burning a village. Flames engulfed each house one by one as people were running. They ran in all sorts of directions, just like chickens with their heads cut off; not knowing where to run or where to go. They only had the thought of running from disaster. Only if they knew what would happen if they tried to run. Running away would lead to their death. Either way, you were going to die. This burning village is my home village.

I could only stand on the street and watch with bewildered, chocolate eyes. The village people didn't know what to do as we were randomly attacked. I didn't even know what to do. The only thing I can do is watch the people suffer. I was watching them get slaughtered one by one and yet, I could not move to help. I am a helpless, ten year old girl that has no strength to do anything. I am incredibly weak and could not even lift a box full of milk jars.

"Well, what is a young lady standing here for?" I looked to a man with long, black curly hair back in a hair tie and a sharp chin that held a weird beard that is not explanatory. He wore a dark yukata that shined from the flame's light. His eyes gleamed with a dark grey color as they held mischief.

"Um…" My voice came out quiet and I could not even find it to speak out. I could only make little noises and tilt my head down as I felt a chill run through me. A hand appeared before me and I looked to the man.

"Come, child. Let's give you a new home." I slowly reached for his hand as he gave me a look of hope. "You will be treated like a princess." My hand touched his and I was soon whisked off my feet as he began carrying me off.

I couldn't help but look back to my village. Screams were heard and someone ran by on fire. Though, in my little eyes, all I could see is revenge and payback. They treated me horribly, like I was some kind of monster. I couldn't help, but turn away from the horror and relax in the hold; hoping for a better life.

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><p><em><strong>Meiji Era, 1868 A.D.<strong>_

War has ceased, for now, and the fall of the Edo Era was no surprise. A new government was made and soon followed with the Five Charter Oath. Nothing seemed to stand in the way for the Empire. All that's left now is for our secret force to be converted with the new empire.

Our force is only known by the higher ups. We are Secret Assassins. The higher ups send us on secret missions to eliminate any disturbances or lethal enemies. We each held a number to show our strength and which level of a mission we can be sent on. Not only do we assassinate enemies, we also cause disasters on purpose. A war was started by the mere killing by one of us. Our group is that serious, because we always carry out our mission.

"Luffy-san." I heard my name and spun around to look at the man who called out to me. "Lucci-sama calls for you."

I gave a mere glance to the man as he was a low level and I did not bother with them. I strode past him down the hall as my flat shoes hit the wood flooring. While continuing down the hall, I tugged on my kimono as it went to mid-thigh and is a little snug on my waist. It was odd to be called to the Boss instead of his advisor for a mission. This either meant it is a very important mission or he is merely going senile. Either way didn't matter, but it nagged at me like a mother would to their misbehaved child. I reached the door where Lucci lied and knocked on it. It slowly opened to a man in a black outfit as only his eyes appeared to peer at me.

"It's Luffy-san." The man stated before letting me pass into the room where I glanced up to see our Boss.

"Why, hello, young one." His hair was still the same from back then, but longer since it has been eight years. His sharp grey eyes had never changed as he still held a sinister look of mischief. "That was quick." He mentioned with a husky voice as he soon stood up from his sitting position. "Please, come over and sit." He suggested and I raised a curious eyebrow before walking over and sitting on the opposite side of him on a cushion before he sat as well.

"Why did you call upon me, Lucci?" I asked the man and he took a swig of his beverage.

"Well," he began, "a mission has been inputted, but only a woman can do it. So, since you are the only woman with a high rank, you will have to go on it, even though the mission is higher ranked." I began to brush through my chocolate brown hair as it was up in a ponytail, but long enough to rest down my chest.

"It will increase my skill." I told him as he gave an uncertain look. "Is something upon my face?" I asked out as he soon took another swig.

"No, just the mission is different than any other." He warned me before I was handed a scroll by the man dressed in black. "The details are in there. You will leave out at sunrise tomorrow." This sentence told me that the conversation was over, so I stood up with the scroll clasped in my hand.

I bowed towards the man before telling him, "Thank you. Good day." I left the room as the same man before opened the door for me. I squeezed the scroll tightly as I felt anticipation run through my body and my fingers twitched for my katana that rested across my back.

I reached my room to soon unknot the string that held the parchment. The paper lightly unraveled before I opened it fully to peer down at the scratch marks on it made by ink. Sometimes it was hard to read the writing, but you managed after getting used to it. I began to review it and soon shortened it in my mind. I was looking for a man named Roronoa, who is an infamous thief in the east. He is very skilled and very sneaky, so I will just have to match him. The reason for it to be a woman's job, especially for us, is because the man is attracted to women who are strong looking; which would be me. The bad part of this mission is that they don't know what he looks like.

For now, I shall rest until before sunrise to prepare for my journey towards Red Line Village; where he seems to have been last resided at to anyone's acknowledgement.

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><p>"Welcome to Red Line Village! May I offer you our king size room, Luffy-sama?" I stopped before the man that held his hands together in a tight grip as he was pretty much trying to kiss my feet. He knew me well as I passed through a couple of times to stay and he always tried to kiss my hand like some sort of gentleman. Trust me, he is far from a gentleman and one good glare told him his place. Besides me, he always tries to kiss up to the higher up people and I almost don't blame him. He gets a lot of yen over the years they receive our service.<p>

"That sounds good." I merely told the man and he turned his bald head to yell at some workers to set up my room with his arm swinging frantically making the fabric almost get tangled around.

"It will take just a few moments to set it up." He informed me and I glanced around the room as I sighed out and soon went to a table. I sat on my knees and I was automatically brought a tea. I paid no mind to the world around me as I kept my mind clear and sipped my tea. I was trying to think of ways to draw out this man named Roronoa and what to do. I was told to bring him alive, but dead was okay as well.

"Is this seat taken?" I opened my eyes and peered up to the person who interrupted my thoughts. My eyes locked onto brilliant emerald eyes that gleamed with some type of amusement. They were also glazed over from the light from the window and I noticed the smirk spread across his face. His cheek bones were high and made his smirk look wide. His nose was sharp and almost pointed along with a pair of small lips that looked lightly chapped. Soon, I noticed the modern, farmer clothing he wore as they were slightly tattered, especially the shorts he wore, and the dirt randomly spread across his skin. You could tell he worked out in the field from his sun-kissed skin that showed off his toned muscles.

"Yes." I told him and he reached a hand to his odd, dark green hair and began to glance around. Confusion set onto his face as he soon looked down to me.

"For who?" I raised an eyebrow at him as he is a very nosy person. I grunted out lightly and set my arm across my chest to grasp my other arm as it held my tea cup.

"Myself." I told him with a slight ignorant tone. He stared at me before leaning back lightly and putting his arm across his stomach with laughter. "Why are you laughing?" I asked him as he soon had to wipe mirth from an eye.

"You are funny." He pointed a finger at me before moving and sat down across from me. "I'm sure yourself can fit in that spot you are at." He told me and a tea cup was set in front of him. He glanced up with a sly smile as he just seemed to be an overall amused person. "Thank you." He spoke out and got a nod from the server who quickly walked off after they noticed me looking.

"Persistent, are we?" The same grin appeared as I asked him a simple question.

"I've been told that before." He told me before leaning over with a hand out. "People call me Zoro, by the way."

I gave a glance to the dirty hand before slowly gripping it into my own, feeling the rough skin against my smooth skin. "Luffy." I told him simply before he sat back and took a sip of his tea.

"Luffy-sama, your room is ready!" The Inn owner was back and noticed my company. "Oh! Zoro, what are you doing with such a lady?" He hissed out venomously as he seemed to almost kick the man out immediately.

"I was talking to Luffy, here." He let a hand show my presence once more before I stood and set the cup down, which held a bit of tea left, with a couple pieces of yen next to it.

"I expect a key." I told the owner, who handed over the key immediately. A noise in the kitchen of the Inn was made and the owner ran off.

"See you around, Luffy." I grunted before glancing back towards the man. He gave me his infamous smirk before I turned and began walking off towards my room.

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><p>"That man has some nerves and guts. Every time I either leave the inn or walk through the market, he is there. It's almost like he waits to see me! That self-righteous man! I should shred him to pieces for annoying me greatly! Most of the villagers take it as some type of comedy act and then the man laughs with them! Oh that ignorant, persistent, farmer man! It has been two months! Oh, when will he leave me be and go mess with some wretch or other!" I huffed out a breath as I finished my light rant. A chuckle left lips before a rough voice pierced the air.<p>

"You seem to be getting along." I glanced across the table towards a man, named Law, which was also a high ranked assassin. A glare crossed my face as I grunted at him as I slammed my fist down.

"He is a wretched man that needs to leave me be." I told the other as he soon cracked a smile across his lips.

"I haven't seen you this fired up since your training years with Lucci." He told me and I felt heat reach my cheeks as he said that. Not the fact of the training years, but of the fact he was pointing out something. He was right; I have been getting fired up about this man named Zoro. "Maybe little Luffy is in love with this guy?" He did a teasing tone and I threw my cup at him before my sword found his throat. He began to laugh out with hands up and only a glint of pure mischief was in his eyes as he was not afraid. "I was just wondering!"

I huffed out a breath before pulling back the sword and sheathed it. "Even if I was infatuated by this man, I would not admit it to the likes of you!" My back found the wall behind me and I relaxed against it. "Anyways, if anything- the man intrigues my interest somewhat since he has been around me." I saw him try to hold down a chuckle and soon succeeded. "Now, onto real business; what is it you have for me, Law?" A quick cough left his lips as he lightly straightened his sitting position and set his cup down.

"I have some information on Roronoa." Before I could speak up about what he had, he lifted his hand up to silence me. "This information is not much, but it will be a great advantage for you. A man happened to see him and we got his face on paper. It is not the best picture, since you usually draw out people, but I think it will be helpful." He told me and I eyed him carefully before watching him pull out a scroll and rolling it towards me. "Take a look at our infamous thief." The tone of his voice was almost sarcastic, but also irritated at the same time.

"It took so long and we finally have his portrait." I asked out to myself mainly as it stunned me that we had it, or even a credible witness. My blood pumped with adrenaline and my heart thumped against my ribs hard. I was anticipated on seeing this man's face and finally catching him. I took the string off and it stayed in its rolled up position. I grabbed the top of the parchment and slowly began to unroll it. My breath hitched and it felt as if my heart stopped beating as I gazed at the picture.

Oh Kami, no.

"This is Roronoa?" I almost couldn't find my voice as I asked the question after a quite a bit of silence.

"Our source says so." His words seemed to be hitting me like a blow as I wanted to translate his words to lies.

It just cannot be him.

"Why? Does he look familiar?" It felt hard to breathe or even find my breath. My head swarmed with confusion and I let the paper slip from my fingers as I backed away from it. I began wiping my hands on my kimono and leaned against a wall. "Luffy?" I took my gaze slowly away from the wall before me as I gazed into curious, almost, concerned eyes. My lips had gone dry and I soon parted them with a heavy weight wanting to close them; that heavy weight being misbelieve.

After a short breath, I felt the words slide out. "It's Zoro."

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><p>My strides through the market were fast paced. My earlier adrenaline has died and now I was only filled with curiosity. Zoro just doesn't fit the criteria of an infamous thief. He is more like the infamous simpleton, but saying he is a master at stealing is too much to take in. I could see the "womanizer" part of him, but I have seen him act. How could someone be so full of daily amusement and helpful towards others and secretly be a thief? It does not make any sense, unless he has split his personality in two; one side good and one side evil.<p>

"Luffy!" The shout of my name made from a familiar voice caused my chest to clench. I felt the rough hand grasp my arm and on instinct I grasped his wrist and yanked him to me to punch him in the face. He fell back and I released him so he could fall back onto the ground. We were in a quiet part of town, so anyone who saw that would have run. "Whoa! What's wrong all of a sudden?" He got up from the ground with his hand on his face as he gave me a confused look.

A bubble of anger popped followed with more forming inside of me. My teeth gritted and I let my hand grasp my katana hilt. His hands flew up like trying to protect himself. "You lied to me!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Lied about what?" He seemed completely muddled on why I was suddenly acting like this. When I got mad at him, it was a light irritation from his teasing or we messed around with play fights, not actually hurting one another.

"Your name! You didn't tell me your true name!" He blinked in some type of shock as he calmly started to relax a little.

"My full name?" He asked out as he seemed to still not comprehend. I did not speak and he soon took it as a queue to continue. "My name is Zoro. Roronoa Zoro. I don't use my formal name."

"Roronoa, also known as the infamous thief who stole from a famous minister named Doflamingo." His green eyes went wide and lips lightly parted in shock. "You escaped through our grasps a year back." I informed him and his body did not move as he left his hands up. "Did you escape to steal more?"

"I stole from that man, like any other thieving I did, was because I was hired and asked to do it. I didn't do it for enjoyment. Someone saw me and told me try it and saw it fit for me. He paid me, almost too, excessively that I could not deny his offer." His eyes and voice sounded sincere and I felt like there was more behind it.

"Why did you need so much?" His face strained as a flash of pain crossed over his face and he lightly twitched in his posture. He relaxed and put his hands down and sighed out with eyes toward the ground.

"A month before you came to this village, my younger sister, Kuina, died of an incurable disease. I needed the money for her to see a doctor, but it seemed like I was too late by the time I could afford him." He shifted his feet in a scuffing manor before his eyes found mine. "I was told by the doctor, that I finally got two months after stealing from that minister, that there was a possibility that I could get her back up to health slowly." His eyes shifted away once more as he took a long pause. I relaxed my grip on my katana as he was telling the full fledge truth, that or he is a very good lair.

"I kept stealing," he continued. "Thinking it would help get the expensive medicine for her." A shuddered sigh left him as he seemed to dread on saying the next thing. "I left to get the medicine from a merchant and came right back to give her some. When I returned, I found her asleep with no movement what-so-ever. Her chest did not rise and fall and her nostrils did not flare like they did when she slept. I knew then that she was dead and feeling her pulse made me confirm it."

He gazed back up at me with a hand reaching up to grasp his other arm. His eyes held a sincere look as he gave off that he was completely serious. His story did not sound like something made up on the spot either. His sadness is real and you can obviously see the pained look on him and by the way he moves his body. I have seen some very good lairs and he is defiantly not lying.

"I quit doing dirty work," he began speaking like he was finishing up, "and began to settle down more and help out around here. When you appeared, I couldn't help but smile as you were just so fun to tease." A frown caught my lips and he smiled and chuckled out. "So, there you have it."

"You did all of that for your little sister?" I asked out and he nodded to me. "You are not pulling a stick out of a stack and reading out a lie, are you?"

"No, no I am not. You can ask any villager around her about my sister and when she died. Most people knew I did some type of dirty work, not knowing what, but knew I was trying to save Kuina. I guess they just let it be." A slight shrug rolled off his shoulders as he let his hand fall back down. "So… what are you going to do now? I'm sure you were here to kill or apprehend me, right?"

"Not now." I let my hand fall to my side in silence as I glanced around a second and analyzed my surroundings. I glanced to Zoro again as he had an eyebrow quirked up in confusion and slight surprise.

"Now what?" He asked me and crossed his arms.

"I could let you escape to another village, but by now I am sure they know you are here." I told him and let my thumb and index finger snag up my chin as I gazed to the ground in concentration.

"They would probably kill you for letting me escape." He told me like he knew what kind of trouble I could get into.

"Hm, most likely."

"Run away with me then." My eyes lightly widened and I let my hand fall as I glanced up at him.

"Do what?" The confusion and surprise in my voice did not go unnoticed. I was in shock by the question.

"Run away with me. We could start over somewhere else." He held out his hands as if the suggestion just him and it was an offer hanging out there to grab.

I could feel myself inch towards this suggestion. "You do realize they know what I look like, right?"

"We can change up a little bit." My body felt like it was tugged right next to the lingering suggestion and my hand twitched for me to grab it. His hand soon extended out towards me. "Come with me." He asked and I soon let my hand touch his.

"We could be killed." I whispered out the words and glanced into raging green eyes. They brewed up a storm as he seemed to let it go on with a smile on his lips.

"You never know, but all I know, right now, is that I want you to run away with me."

This gate that has opened up for me has brought me to an understanding. I can take my life by the reigns and yank all I want, but it will never slow down for me. The only thing I can do is direct my horse in the right direction. Even though, I may never know this is the right direction, but life is full of decisions and choices. Choices that you will have to make and take them on like a raging storm. I was coming up to a split in the road and I needed to decide now, before it was too late.

My hand gripped Zoro's hand hard as I peered deeper into his eyes with a warm smile at him. "Let's go."

My path has changed and my choice felt great.


End file.
